Friends of the Duarte Library Gear Up for 7th annual Duarte Festival of Authors, Oct. 3

Authors Ray Bradbury, D. J. MacHale and Hector Tobar will headline the 7th annual Duarte Festival of Authors on Saturday, Oct. 3. In all, more than 50 authors will speak, participate in panel discussions, and sign their books.

The festival, presented by the Friends of the Duarte Library, will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at beautiful Westminster Gardens, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave. in Duarte. Admission is free.

Hector Tobar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times columnist and author of “The Tattooed Soldier,” and “Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States” will lead off the festival’s main speakers at 11 a.m. D. J. MacHale, whose young adult following of readers is legion for his bestselling fantasy series of novels, “Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space,” will speak at 12:30 p.m. The legendary Ray Bradbury, author of the “Martian Chronicles,” and “Fahrenheit 451,” as well as dozens of other books and hundreds of short stories and plays, will speak at 3:30 p.m. Bradbury received a Pulitzer Citation for his lifetime of writing achievements in 2007. His latest book is “We’ll Always Have Paris,” a collection of 22 short stories.

There will also be a host of other treats for festival-goers.

Stewarts Antiques of Beverly Hills will offer an appraisal clinic for antique books, jewelry, art and other small treasures from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The public is invited to have their items appraised for a $5 donation per item to benefit the Friends of the Duarte Library. Art lovers will enjoy an exhibit by local fine artists. The festival will also offer a variety of special activities for children. Food and refreshments will also be available.

For more information, call (626) 357-4151 or visit www.friendsoftheduartelibray.com. Also look for the Duarte Festival of Authors on Facebook.

Flier